NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — They’re called Starbucks “squatters.” You know, those folks with their laptops who take all the seats and never seem to leave.

But, as CBS 2’s Scott Rapoport, reports the coffee house giant has a plan brewing to fix that.

You know how some Starbucks customers and their computers like to make a permanent home in the coffee emporium, hogging up all the seats for hours, mooching off the free Wi-Fi and preventing you from sitting down and enjoying the latte you paid $5 for?

Well, now some Starbucks in New York City are reportedly pulling the plug on that idea, actually covering up their electrical outlets to discourage squatters.

“If people want to sit there and relax they should be able to,” one person said.

At some other coffee shops in the city, like Doma in the West Village, they let you use your laptop here for as long as you like if the store is not too busy on week days up until 5 p.m. The catch is you have to have your own Wi-Fi.

At Grumpy’s, employees said there are no laptops allowed, period. That’s the policy.

As for Starbucks, the decision to pull the plug is reportedly up to individual stores thought to be only in New York.

It’s an idea brewed much the like the coffee — for customer satisfaction.

Employees at some smaller Starbucks locations told Rapoport privately that electrical outlets will not be blocked in their stores because seating space is not an issue.

Do you like this idea? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.

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I would like a rule that would allow a waiting patron to trip anyone walking away with their coffee if they had more than three modifiers to their coffee order. You know “a bold, lente, low fat, macchiato , with cinnamon and extra chocolate sprinkles.

That is the least of the problems with Starbucks..I was the pest control guy for years and have tons photos to prove it….Any body wanna see some nasty stuff ? Email me at malachicrunch@rocketmail.com…You will be drinking water for the rest of your life!!!! Seat hogging is the best of your troubles in NY Starbucks!!!

This is no worse than going to McDonalds or Burger King, and having all the seniors sitting around for hours or days sharing a ‘sr.s discount coffee.’ People tend to move in to an establishment when something is free or heavily discounted. I have always felt, that if you are in any restaurant or coffee house for more than an hour, you are merely taking advantage of the system, or to cheap to turn on your own ac or heat. I worked in a diner several years ago, and we always shuffled people out after an hour if they were not ordering and politely told them we needed to get ready for either the lunch or dinner crowd. Tougher for Starbucks, since all the computer nerds, love buying a latte, and setting up camp for days with their laptops and numerous cell phones. The unwritten rule is one hour, but get a New Yorker to obey that……

Who knew that so many so called “conservatives” have all sorts of ideas of how long a customer should be able to stay at starbucks, or how much they should order, or when the wifi should be turned off. Have you guys considered a career in Urban Planning so you can pursue your obviously untapped passion for Social Engineering or otherwise telling other people what to do with THEIR customers? I only ask because there aren’t many “Committee For Public Safety” openings available anymore, but I’m sure there will be if enough people think like these small minded, deeply out of touch people do. A coffeehouse is more than a place to get coffee. It’s a place that welcomes laptops because some people do more than check their email or play farmville with them.

Bet you any amount of money that Starbucks executives that actually know something about keeping the customers coming in will kill this “brilliant” idea as soon as they hear of it.

@Mark It’s more like SB realizes they have a problem. That must come from a perception that they are losing business. Low table turnover is bad for a restaurant and inconvenient for customers. Businesses have a right to set conditions for their patrons. “Conservatives” support that right. Consumers have a right to set their own conditions for patronizing an establishment – they’re sharing that here. We all have the right to take our business elsewhere.

SB, run by a bunch of liberal thinking types; Sure, we will give free Wi-Fi to our customers. They will love us and buy stuff.
HA! The wisdom that if you offer something for less than it costs to provide, the demand will overtake the supply.
Just like the US Gov giving away just about ever service needed by mankind. To much demand is now killing the US like it is killing SB and Greece, Italy, Spain, you name it.

Oh STOP it with the “government is taking away” BS. You probably voted for that moron in Trenton, too.

The greedy U.S. corporations have given away American jobs because they refuse to pay for COL raises and benefits to U.S. workers since these so-called “perks” which are necessities in life (despite what Santorum says) would cut into their “God-given right” to make overly inflated profits.

Do NOT blame your so-called “liberal thinkers” for issues in any industry. A society protects and serves its people and the people pay into the society (it’s called taxes), but this is lost on the “conservative thinkers” who just want to line their pockets on the backs of the middle class. Greed and power runs this country instead of service and freedom. And the fact that anyone would make a comment about “giving away service” (as if it’s not a good thing to serve your people) makes that person most un-American. I blame you for Chris Christie.

I finally got so p*ssed at not having a seat last month at 4Bux that I went and poured that Dixie cup of black glory right into some guys outlet- Sure sparks were flying and the guy threw some choice words at me, but it got him to leave! (said something about d*mn commies or somethin-)

ey everyone, look at me, look at me. i’m typing someing, is everyone watching?? i’m blogging how I hate rich people, white people, even though Im white, and how I hate people who don’t spend enough money to pay for my benefits. UGH!!!!!!!!!!

I’m no networking expert, but maybe each wifi connection could gradually throttle down. Full speed the first hour, then less bandwidth as time goes on, for each user. Very few of those laptop users are doing anything offline. If most of them get the hint, gently not with a sudden cutoff, the situation could improve.

It’s simple. There’s free firmware for just about any router that will give a MAC address xx minutes. Just enough time for them to email some maggots at the ACLU to start up a class acton law suit. That’s a “m” in that worm word in the previous sentence, not a “f”, but…

I am a “squatter”. I don’t go everyday. I move between the library, friends offices, clients offices, coffee shops, my car, the park, kinkos, barnes and nobles, etc. I can’t speak for everyone but I do this when I’m working on a project and end up spending quite a bit of money there. I tip generously. The staff are all sweet to me and others like me, offering us samples and often enjoy the community created by it. I pay for highspeed at home. I also pay for mobile wireless when I need high speed. I often hear disparaging remarks, usually by old people who think we’re all chatting or playing “pacman” when we’re actually working and contributing to society. Often, while we’re “mooching” we’re working for non profits, causes, we’re teachers, researchers, journalists, writers, etc. I get up when people need seats, and I move on. But if seats are good I’ll stay for as long as I need to. I personally don’t think SB would ever have a problem with this and dont think any of this “news” will pan out. SB is a crack den and it’s good business to keep your addicts close. It’s also good business to offer cheap or free refills in order to up the addictions. And for the rest, there is no better advertising than a too few seats. You’re going to buy your coffee anyway.

One thing that annoys me here is how all of my fellow working class folks worrying so much for the electrical bill for a billion dollar industry. It’s about time we stop pretending we’re shareholders.

SB also happens to be the only place a New Yorker can use a restroom in public. Truly. If you don’t think that was a planned strategy for them to increase foot traffic, and worried about the cost of their water utilities, hand dryer, tissue, soap, and cleaning, you obviously have little idea how corporations don’t do things that are not profitable. Having 8 of 10 people use SB only for the bathroom without buying something makes money. So does having a liberal policy on guests. If that wasn’t true, and you figured out a vast flaw in a multinational’s profit system, SB has bigger problems than seats.

Ya know, most of us out here just pay our own freight, it has nothing to do with “feeling like a shareholder’ as you describe. It’s called pulling your own weight and not being a parasite on others’ time and dimes. Try it sometime.

Starbucks isn’t an entitlement program. It’s a business, and when I’m there I’m not a parasite, I’m a paying customer, and guess what, the cost of the wifi was priced into the cost of a cup of coffee. So, if you’re going to pretend to be conservative, you might want to learn about these subtle differences, dipstick.

It ain’t your time, and it ain’t your dime. Do you think that SB offers these things because they want to save money, or to compete with other places that offer the same thing? My house, which I paid for last I checked, “offers” the same thing, but I still pay for the wifi whereever I work, in the prices I pay to frequent THEIR establishment.

Another thing you might figure out is that some people use their laptops for more than playing farmville, and if you don’t than I bet there is a tremendous amount of overhead in your line of work which probably means your company is only in business because your company’s sucking at the taxpayer’s teat.

Yah sister! Sitting at Starbucks working on your computer means you have no job. In fact, forget all those commercials bragging about their facilities that offer a nice quiet place to work and free wi-fi to help people complete their work and keep them buying coffee for as long as possible. Disregard all of that ‘i am a paying costumer’ bull.

PEOPLE! WHEN YOU GO TO A PLACE EXPLICITLY DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE TO BE THERE HOURS ON END REMEMBER THIS: CONSERVATIVES DO NOT APPROVE OF YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES YOU ARE OFFERED.

Well conservatives think you are a patsy for soliciting such a place. It speaks to “character and family values” to consort with those who would offer anything for free.

Don’t worry–we might have a “savior.” It’s possible that the governor of Texas can get us out of our economic issues with his fast-track connections to God. Since he’s abandoned our system of government, it seems our only hope.

“as you blindly repeat whatever leftist propaganda your brain’s been washed with”
No, I’m pretty sure the governor proposed and signed his laws into affect and took money out of my paycheck. This isn’t a repeat of anything–this is a reality. I actually do understand what all those silly numbers in my paycheck mean despite what you think.

I love the insult, using my name to call me a name. Such maturity on the part of the right, once again! Thanks for the entertainment.

Everyone seem very fixated on “squatters” with laptops. What about “squatters” that sit and read their book all day. You can’t time them out. You can’t cover electric plugs to get them to leave. I see as many of these people as I do the laptop users.
On a side note, I work out of my house. One day my internet went down and I needed to work that day. I knew I could go to a Starbucks, order a few coffees and be good for the day. It saved my day and I paid for several rounds of coffee. I imagine most are the same way. rarely do I see the same people with their laptops every day.

I think Borders had the same problem..people reading magazines, books, etc for free..and not buying anything, or going home and ordering books from Amazon..a person can hang out all day at a Borders/Barnes and Noble and not buy a thing!

In a SB’s close to my house we have a family that comes everyday and takes 3 tables. They stay the entire day and run their business. I have lived in this part of Seattle for almost 3 years and they still come daily. They even bring their smaller children who play and swing from the rafters after while from boredom. Is internet so expensive at home if your running a business. Oh and they have multiple cell phones spread out across the tables that non stop ring. I have never been able to get a seat at that SB. Enough is enough! I have never complained but others have and the management has trouble removing them for a couple of reasons. One being they do not speak a bit of English and they just won’t go!

Typical failure of a liberal “give everyone everything they want, never say no to anyone for anything” idea. Hey libs, grow-up for Christ sakes! I hate to be the one to break it to you but you are not going to save the world M-Kay? When some of you get older and some dead beat you just had to try to help as a doo-gooder sees the oppertunity to sue you back to the stone age and all you will be able to do is go off whimpering “how could they do that to me maaaaan”, Stop living in a fantasy world fools, these ppl will turn on you or anyone else like a snake in the grass.

A NYC Starbucks, well drose, how about you give me 5 bucks for every lefty democrat in a NYC starbucks and I’ll give you 10 bucks for every right wing republican at any random store at any random time in NYC and let’s see who ends up with more money. Hell, I’ll be able to retire as a millionaire in about two weeks if you took me up on that offer. Unfortunate for you drose, you are not smart or awesome as Jeff is, you are more like…..delusional.

I see no reason to ever go into a Starbucks and sit and surf on my notebook. I love their coffee but drink it at home. I guess it may be the trendy thing to do, being seen at Starbucks, but I could care less.

If they want to charge 5 bucks for a coffee, you should be able to sit there as long as you want. In fact, they want you to sit there. It’s encouraged. Free Wi-Fi, free refills if you remain in the the store… Sbux has finally lost its charm as a growth company, got big, and realized that it needs to squeeze every buck out of consumers in order to continue to make earnings forcasts and keep the stockholders happy. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it’s really what is going on here, a change in policy designed to generate more income.

I used to go in with my son, spend $30 on coffee and breakfast for us….sit down with my laptop for 10 minutes of review….only to find the wifi wasn’t working at all. Smart thing to do would be to check first….but that wasn’t the point. The wifi was free and I considered myself a paying customer. We quit going, found an alternative and our Starbucks consumption is now verrry minimal. Don’t offer wifi if you are going to impeade it’s delivery. And BTW….limiting access to battery power only is the smartest thing they could do to address the issue. Disrupting the wifi is unacceptable.

I am one of the people who spend hours at Starbucks (not in NY) leaching their power. I used to go to Starbucks specifically because they DIDN’T provide free WIFI so it was easier to find a seat. I use it like an office to do some writing – all I need is power to keep me going.

However, I’m actually not a coffee drinker – I only order a $5 drink to justify my seat. So if they cut off my power I won’t be going back. Or at least, I’ll have to purchase a backup battery for my laptop😛

It remains to be seen if this actually affects the number of seats available. If you kick one guy with a laptop out because 10 people want a seat, that still leaves 9 people without seats.

Or maybe there will be more seats available simply because those regular customers who spend 5 hours a day, 3 or 4 days a week every week won’t be there any more. Do that math and see if it stacks up against your power bill.

Who has the right to dictate company policy? The man whose pockets support the enterprise. If SB is losing money (for any reason) then the bean counters will weigh in on options to recover lost profits or losing business strategies. Period.

What amazes me is the number of people who have nothing better to do than follow this stream of comments to this point. My excuse? I’m working on my doctorate concerning misguided passion. Please, PLEASE assist me by finding something to say in reply. TYIA (Thank You In Advance).

Everyone seem very fixated on “squatters” with laptops. What about “squatters” that sit and read their book all day. You can’t time them out. You can’t cover electric plugs to get them to leave. I see as many of these people as I do the laptop users.

On a side note, I work out of my house. One day my internet went down and I needed to work that day. I knew I could go to a Starbucks, order a few coffees and be good for the day. It saved my day and I paid for several rounds of coffee. I imagine most are the same way. rarely do I see the same people with their laptops every day.

The days of something for nothing are coming to an end, and not just at Starbucks. Get used to it. And if you’re familiar with the story of the grashopper and the ants – this time the ants aren’t going to take you in when it gets cold.

One of the reasons I NEVER patronize that place. After a couple of times of not being able to sit because some losers are using it as their lounge. If that company doesn’t care about my business they aren’t getting it!

Years ago, people would buy a cup of coffee and enjoy unlimited refills… all day. Shop owners grew wise and finally stopped the unlimited coffee mooching with a single refill for each paid cup of coffee.

Starbucks should drop the open wi-fi and offer only ethernet connections. Each paid purchase gives you a pass code for a free 20-minute connection. Timed-out screen means it’s time to move on, Biff.

All Star Bucks has to do is attach an access code to the receipt. The code allows the customer an allotted amount of time to access the internet. When the time is up they either have to buy another Beverage which will give them another code, buy more time from the online home page, or leave.

That’s a good idea except that it doesn’t address the issue of people staying for hours on end – they could just simply buy more coffee or time on the Net. The way that Panera Bread has addressed the issue in their stores is to limit wi-fi access to 30 min. or an hour, then you can’t log in again for another 2 hours. Starbucks could do the same thing; they could even limit access to 1 hour, once a day. That would be fair I think in some of their busiest locations. I think it’s wise for the company to leave it to each store to decide since traffic varies from one location to the next.

I think you’re all missing the point. If you don’t have a power outlet, you can only stay as long as your battery charge allows you to. That’s about 1.5 hours on my laptops. I applaud this idea. I would probably go to Starbucks more, if I knew I had a place to sit for a few. That’s why I go there: to get away, and take a break.

I think Starbucks used to have a policy like that, requiring you to use the pin on ur starbucks giftcard or gold card to use the internet. I think it was about 2 years ago when they changed it to open wifi for everyone. I usually have 3 or 4 cups if I’m sitting their doing work, but refills are a lot cheaper than the initial buy, not including free refills if its a card. The more I drink the less of a profit margin per cup they make off of me.

If the starbucks are all crowded in certain locations, wouldn’t that be an indication to expand the number of locations in a given area? Maybe get 4 per block instead of only having 2 within my field of vision at all times in NYC😛

That’s exactly what the #2 coffee chain in the country, Caribou, does here in Minneapolis. With every purchase you get about an hour of complimentary wifi access. The system seems to work, in that it turns “squatters” into repeat customers and eases those who don’t wish to buy multiple items out the door. The main difference in implementing such a system here versus in NYC (where I grew up) is that the time allotments for NYC stores would likely have to be shorter due to the higher traffic-to-space ratio.

The receipt code was my idea, but Brian can take the credit. I no longer patronize Starbucks. It’s just too expensive for me. I brew my own joe and store it in my handy Nissan thermos that is almost 20 years old. In Chicago, the Wells/North Ave. Starbucks is roomy and has a lot of seats. I never cared about the seat hogs, but what about those smelly homeless folks knocked out on the couch. Hey, who’s vying to occupy that spot after stinky heads off to the exit ramp to coax liberals for doe? You’d have to bring in a hazmat crew to sterilize that poor piece of furniture.

I’m sure the “let’s grab a coffee and check our blackberry” dinosaurs that still roam the concrete canyons of NYC will like those emptied out stores until their shuttered. …and the clueless crowd will say: “Oh what a shame, I sure liked getting a latte”.
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While the internet certainly attracts/keeps most of the folks, not all laptop work requires internet. Aspiring writers or even business folks can spend hours on a computer without internet access. I like the outlet blocking idea that limits folks to their battery life. Or they could do the old fashioned way and have a host/hostess ask people to leave after some length of time…

Sherrry – the idea is for the store to MAKE MONEY. Get with it. If someone wants to buy access codes all day, then so be it. The store is making money, and that’s what the shareholders on Wall Street care about. Nick’s idea is spot on, drives up REVENUE, and keep squatters out. No need to tamper with it unless you’re a fan of OBAMA.

Exactly, Panera Bread has a 30 minute limit during their rush hours at certain stores. There are no codes, etc needed. In other words, they quietly did was SBucks is trying to do without jumpin’ the shark.

But then you have to ask the employees to start throwing people out after an hour. If I were a SB employee, I’d demand more for having to not only serve up coffee but go around policing the store and acting like a bouncer. That kind of thing can get you beaten in certain parts of the country.

Put a loud buzzer under table and when their 1/2 hours is up, buzz the buzzer.
Personally, I’ve tried many times to enjoy a Starbucks but it just doesn’t have a pleasant taste to me.
Almost any McDonald’s has better tasting coffee at half the price. Or, I also like Seattle’s Best……….far better taste. I’m convinced Starbucks is simply the image some like better than the coffee.

If you can afford to spend $3,000 + for the latest & newest Macbook Pro every year you can afford to rent an office space. Starbucks should give a 30 minute limit on Wifi usage with the code printed on the receipt.

I mean I am asking again, what exactly do people need to spend hours at Starbucks for using their WiFi when they should just rent an office space since they obviously can afford to.